Session 3 - Rape and sexual assault

Session Three
Rape and Sexual Assault
Our ground rules
• Confidentiality
• Appropriate language
• Attendance
• Communicating with the facilitator
This is a bystander programme:
EMPOWERING YOU AS BYSTANDERS TO
INTERVENE TO PREVENT VIOLENCE
4 Stages for intervention
1. Notice the event
2. Interpret it as a problem
3. Feel responsible for dealing with it
4. Possess necessary skills to act
(Adapted from Berkowitz, A. (2009) Response Ability: A Complete
Guide to Bystander Intervention, Beck & Co., p.10)
Stage 1: Noticing behaviour
or an event
We need to understand and learn about
rape and sexual assault in order to be able
to notice situations and see behaviours or
events as potentially problematic.
What percentage of rapes are committed
by someone known to the victim?
A.
•35%
B.
•71%
C.
•85%
FACTS
Rape is rarely committed by strangers: 85 percent
of reported rapes are carried out by someone
known to the victim
(HMIC, 2007)
NUS survey found that the majority of perpetrators
of stalking, sexual assault and physical violence
were already known to the victim
(NUS 2011 p.19)
‘A rape victim will resist and fight the
attacker and there will be signs of injury.’
A. •Agree
B. •Disagree
C. •Unsure
Victim Resistance
• How do victims of rape resist?
– Physical resistance
• Fighting, hitting, struggling, running away
– Verbal resistance
• Telling the perpetrator(s) to stop, persuasion,
shouting, screaming
• Not all victims resist. Why is this?
• Fear (the ‘freeze fright’ response), the use of
weapons, multiple assailants or threats
A student’s experience:
questions about masculinity?
‘My main problem was dealing with the fact that men
can get raped too. Others said I should have beaten him
up or been more of a man or that it was a lesson for
being seen as a bit promiscuous at times.’
(Cambridge 2014 p.20)
Cambridge study: CUSU (Cambridge University Students' Union) (2014). Cambridge Speaks Out.
Cambridge: CUSU Women's Campaign. Online at
http://www.womens.cusu.cam.ac.uk/Cambridge%20Speaks%20Out%20Report%202014.pdf
A person who is drunk or using
drugs …
A.
•Should be held responsible if
they are sexually assaulted or
raped
B.
•Should be held partly
responsible if they are sexually
assaulted or raped
C.
•Are NEVER responsible if they
are sexually assaulted or raped
Why rape is not the victim’s
fault
• Rape is a violation and act of violence with
harmful consequences
• Responsibility only lies with the perpetrator
• Nobody has a right to your body without your
consent no matter what you do or how you
behave
Experiencing blame
‘I was raped in 2010 … walking back to college late at night. I took him
to court and won - but the most harrowing aspect of having been raped
was not the attack itself, but the experiences I had afterwards, both in
court and with “friends”. I told very few people but I can't count amount
of the times I was asked “what were you wearing”, “were you drunk”.
Blame culture is despicable and prevalent in even those who think
themselves to be well adjusted on such matters … Women, though
were the worst. They were the main perpetrators of queries as to what I
was wearing at the time, whether I'd led the man on, whether I was
drunk.’
(Cambridge Speaks Out, 2014: http://www.cambridgespeaksout.org.uk/stories/)
Max penalty
life
imprisonment
VAGINA
LAW OF RAPE:
Sexual Offences Act 2003 (s.1)
INTENTIONAL
PENETRATION by
PENIS WITHOUT
CONSENT
ANUS
MOUTH
Sexual Offences Act 2003, s.74
FREEDOM
CHOICE
CAPACITY
CONSENT
If a woman does not clearly
say ‘No’ to a man then …
A.
• She should be held responsible
if she is sexually assaulted or
raped
B.
• She should be partly held
responsible if she is sexually
assaulted or raped
C.
• She is NEVER responsible if she
is sexually assaulted or raped
FACTS
• The absence of a ‘No’ does not mean that sex is
consensual
• Someone who is asleep or unconscious cannot
consent to sexual activity
• Someone who is very drunk or drugged may not
have capacity to give consent
As a bystander you might
look out for:
• Slurred speech or unable to communicate
• Falling over
• Vomiting
• Passing out/in and out of consciousness
Credit: University of Warwick
FACT
8% of respondents to the student survey
had had sexual intercourse ‘when they didn’t
want to’ because they were or felt unable to
say ‘no’
(NUS 2011 p.16)
NUS study: NUS (National Union of Students) (2011) (2nd Ed.). Hidden Marks. London: NUS. Online
at http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/NUS_hidden_marks_report_2nd_edition_web.pdf
Sexual Assault by Penetration
Sexual Offences Act 2003 s.2
Vagina
Anus
Penetration by
object or other
body part (e.g.
fingers) without
consent
Max penalty
life
imprisonment
Sexual Assault
Sexual Offences Act 2003 s.3
Sexual touching
without
consent e.g.
touching
breasts,
groping, kissing
Max penalty
10 years
imprisonment
FACT
16% of student respondents have
experienced some form of sexual
assault
(NUS 2011 p.11)
NUS study: NUS (National Union of Students) (2011) (2nd Ed.). Hidden Marks. London: NUS.
Online at http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/NUS_hidden_marks_report_2nd_edition_web.pdf
Other behaviours
experienced on campus
• 65% of respondents to NUS survey
reported verbal harassment e.g. sexual
comments, wolf whistling, catcalling
(NUS 2011 p.12)
• 12% had experienced stalking
(NUS 2011 p.11)
NUS study: NUS (National Union of Students) (2011) (2nd Ed.). Hidden Marks. London: NUS. Online at
http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/NUS_hidden_marks_report_2nd_edition_web.pdf
Stage 2: Interpreting behaviour
or an event as a problem
• It goes on within your community
• Violence is everybody’s problem
• The problem has not been solved
Stage 3: Feeling Responsible
• You are part of the solution
• It hurts people who we care about
• It hurts all men because it makes women
fear men or their motives
The impact on victims
• Short and longer-term reactions may
include:
-
Self blame, depression, fear, avoidance of
people or situations, self-harm, trying to
‘forget’ or normalise, leaving university
• Factors impacting on recovery include:
-
The reactions of other people, selfblame, the availability of support
The consequences of offending
behaviour
• Being labelled and known as an abusive
person
– Facing friends, family and other students
• Possessing a criminal record
– Getting a job and impacting future potential
– Being on the sex offender register
– Public disclosure of a criminal record by the
police
Being a friend
• Watching out for a friend who could be a potential
victim
• Watching out for a friend who might be unaware that
what they are doing or about to do is a crime
• Making someone realise that their behaviour is not
acceptable
Social Norms
College Men
overestimate
other men’s
College Men
underestimate
other men’s
Belief in rape myths
Discomfort with
language or behaviour
that objectifies or
degrades women
Willingness to use
force to have sex
Willingness to
intervene to prevent a
sexual assault
Desire to make sure
that they have consent
when sexually active
(Adapted from Berkowitz, 2011: 167)
The result of misperceptions
I’m
uncomfortable
but I’m the only
one
1. Misperceptions inhibit
bystander intervention. College
men are less likely to intervene
when they misperceive other
men’s willingness to intervene
2. Misperceptions
may facilitate violent
and abusive
behaviour in those
already pre-disposed
to it
‘Overestimating the prevalence of sexual assault
was associated with greater likelihood of engaging
in sexual assault…’ (Neighbors et al 2010 p.6)
Everyone
thinks it’s ok
‘[M]en who strongly believe in myths are more likely to act on them and perpetrate sexual
assaults when they perceive their male peers to have similar attitudes … [and] less likely
to act on them when they correctly perceive that other men are not in agreement.’
(Berkowitz 2013 p.21)
You are part of the solution!
What can you do?
• How might you challenge the cultural
context?
• What situations might you notice as they
occur?
• What situations might you prevent
beforehand?
References
Berkowitz, A. (2013). A Grassroots’ Guide to Fostering Healthy Norms to Reduce
Violence in our Communities: Social Norms Toolkit. USA: CDC. Online at
http://www.alanberkowitz.com/Social_Norms_Violence_Prevention_Toolkit.pdf
Berkowitz, A. (2011). “Using How College Men Feel about Being Men and ‘Doing the
Right Thing’ to Promote Men’s Development” in Laker, J. and Davis, T., Masculinities in
Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Considerations. Routledge
Neighbors,C., Walker, D.D., Mbilinyi, L.F., O’Rourke, A., Edleson, J.L., Zegree, J.,
Roffman, R.A. (2010) “Normative misperceptions of abuse among perpetrators of
intimate partner abuse”, Violence Against Women, 16(4), 370-386.
HMIC (2007). Without Consent: A report on the joint review of the investigation and
prosecution of rape offences. London: HMIC.
http://www.hmcpsi.gov.uk/documents/reports/CJJI_THM/BOTJ/Without_Consent_Themat
ic.pdf